Following the announcement by the Council for the European Union in June of a new vehicle directive that mandates the percentage of buses that must be emission-free by 2025 and 2030, three technology companies BMZ, Ziehl-Abegg and Horiba Mira have teamed up to offer, what they claim, is a unique turnkey service for converting existing bus fleets to e-Buses.

ION Energy, a recent start-up company, specializing in battery management systems and energy diagnostic solutions, has been engaged to supply its technology to another relatively new company in France, IBS Technologies.

Dana Inc has struck its first two electric powertrain systems contracts in the USA for medium-duty trucks – the names of the two truck builders, however, were not disclosed.

Daimler Trucks North America Inc and Torc Robotics (a remote-control, digital-control, and autonomous robotics technologies and systems provider and subsidiary of Daimler) are actively developing and testing automated trucks with SAE Level 4 intent technology on public roads.

Small and medium-duty bus builder, Volare SA, a subsidiary of Marcopolo S.A., is planning to intensify export sales to countries in Africa.

Hyundai Motor Company and Cummins Inc have signed a memorandum of understanding to evaluate jointly opportunities to develop and commercialize electric and fuel cell powertrains. 

On show at the low carbon vehicle event held by Cenex at the Millbrook Research & Testing Ground in Millbrook last month, was a fully electric low entry Agrale chassis with Toda bus body.

TVS Motor Pte Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of TVS Motor Co Ltd has signed definitive agreements to invest USD3.2m in Predictronics Corporation – a company that specialises in providing end-to-end predictive maintenance analytics solutions.

Daimler AG subsidiary, Mercedes-Benz Energy GmbH and Beijing Electric Vehicle Co Ltd, have entered a development partnership, intending to establish second-life energy storage systems in China.

London-headquartered CNH Industrial N.V. is to enter into a strategic and exclusive Heavy-Duty Truck partnership with Nikola Corporation, to accelerate industry transformation towards emission neutrality of Class 8 / Heavy-Duty Trucks in North America and Europe through adoption of fuel-cell technology.

Cummins Inc has entered a multi-year partnership with the University of California San Diego and its battery validation lab to analyse viable business and technical approaches for the effective reuse and repurposing of electric vehicle batteries.

Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India Pvt Ltd, the Indian subsidiary of Messe Frankfurt GmbH, has acquired a licence from Busworld International CVBA to organise Busworld India in 2020.